In Winter 2017, fifty-eight BEDS students assembled financial information and tips for the benefit of incoming students. Here is a summary.

Stats

14% of students live at home; 5% live in a student residence; and 81% live in an apartment or house off-campus.

The average monthly cost of off-campus accommodation (including rent, heat, water, and electricity) is $827 for a bachelor apartment, $735 for a one-bedroom, $633 for a share of a two-bedroom, or $657 for a share of a three-bedroom.

43% of students applied for external scholarships outside the university.

60% of students have a student loan. Of those students, 74% found that the loan amount was not sufficient to cover all of their expenses.

26% of students have a part-time job during the term, working an average of 8 hours per week.

52% of students purchased a new computer when they started the BEDS program. The average cost was $2,000, with a range from $500 to $4,500.

The equipment package at the start of the BEDS program costs $500.

The average cost of supplies each term is $534. This includes books, drawing supplies, modeling supplies, software, and printing.

Of the B5 students, 47% reported that their B4 work term salary was greater than their work term expenses; 22% said that it was equal to their expenses; and 31% said that it was less than their expenses.

Tips

Pay the extra money to live closer to campus. If that's not feasible, share an apartment with other students to keep rent costs down. After working late in the studio, a long commute home wouldn't be welcome.

Try to minimize the cost of rent, but ensure you are in a stable living situation.

Although Mac computers are more user-friendly, PC computers are less expensive and support all of the design-related programs you'll need. You don't need a high-end computer; something in the middle is fine. You can do high-end graphic work on the Faculty's computers.